Budding in Winter
by dpeden182

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Good silhouette so it meets the challenge, but quite difficult to see that it's either a bud, or winter. At first view I thought this was meant to be a bird. The scrunched-up bud just translates into a lumpy, ill-defined figure. The lack of dof softens some parts of the bud that could be nice and sharp and thus help define what we're looking at.

So while it's not a terrible shot, a subject that is a little more clear to see and define in silhouette may have been a better choice. Save the flower for when it's in bloom and there are flower/macro challenges on, and you may have better luck then.

Please keep shooting and entering!

Susan

Snowy Birch Alley
by primabarbara

Comment:
nice and eerie and that glassy reflection is great. Well done on the first blue! :-)

Reaching Towards Fame
by dpeden182

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I recognized this immediately as a dance recital shot, as I've shot them too, and they are hell on wheels to shoot. If you don't know the routine, how many dancers, and how the lights are set, it's very difficult to get a good shot. I like that you took a tremendous risk with the 3/4 angle, which is punishing because if you want to get a lot of body parts in focus you need a ridiculously high DOF. Otherwise, to be perfectly honest, I can do little more than parrot what primabarbara has already said with regards to the crop and so forth.

I hope you have learned from this critique and will continue to enter challenges here.

Susan

Urban Clouds
by WonderDude

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I can see where you want to go with this shot, Daniel, and you're close but not quite there. I also love those gorgeous big fluffy pink and blue cotton-candy clouds, and you only have a couple of minutes to try and get them before the light changes. Mainly, with the buildings being such a heavy element (in all terms of the word - they're visually blocky and sharp-edged in contrast to the clouds). They are also in such sharp focus they can't help but draw the eye to themselves. Having the trees there adds clutter to the shot. It may have been a better idea to just shoot straight up from where you were, as there was probably some nice pinky-blue tones overhead, and go with that. Either that or just a square crop of the left segment of your shot, so the leaning tower is the only hard-edged element in there and emphasizing the clouds instead of overwhelming them.

Hope this helps, please keep shooting and entering!

Susan

2015.10.24-David-Portrait-0001
by Wyche_Studios

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Interesting editorial image, looks like an outtake from a fashion shoot featuring a jaded fashionista who is just so hip it hurts. Literally. I stand like that when my feet hurt. The image is beautifully composed and lit; model is interesting to look at though I find the angle of his feet to be a bit comfiting. Is he using the hydrant for support or just resting his hand there cause it's there? Personally I find the rather cold, crisp cerise of his shirt to be at odds with the relatively warm, worn texture and tones of the bricks and hydrant.

I would love to see more work from you, I really do hope that this isn't a random one-off entry!

Susan

Self Portrait - Dublin
by theshawnamiller

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Welcome to DPC and your first critique, Shawna. You did very well for your first time out, in a very tough challenge in a very tough environment. Most people don't break 6 on their first time here. Obviously the DPC crowd likes your work, and I can see why. The muted tones suit the image perfectly, it's like the colour adds hope to dreams that may be on the verge of shattering especially in light of the somewhat depressing view of the balconies opposite. The blur of motion on your lap (I first thought something like a calico cat jumping down) adds interest to a shot that could come across as static otherwise. With the placement of your body at the extreme far left of the frame, it seems that are trying to hide yourself in a corner yet be seen at the same time.

I do sincerely hope that you come back and play here again, you clearly have vision and talent to spare.

Susan

Turn Here
by sfalice

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Abstract challenges are always tough to do well in, so I'm not surprised to see an image that I had personally pegged for the top ten a little further down the list than anticipated. Love the misty mountains behind though would have liked more DOF. So let's see what went awry.

My first thought when I saw this and looked at it was 'That turn arrow came into play too late' and I feel that that is a big part of the problem. It's fun to bend rules, including the rule of thirds, but this one is a little too far away from that third and much too close to the edge of the image to make sense. It just slams us into the frame. If you'd been able to line up that arrow with the extreme drop-off of the cliffs behind, I think this would be a whole 'nother story.

Hope this helps!

Susan

Into The Forest
by Ja-9

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Hehe, I see you got 'Lydia-rolled' in this challenge...no harm done there! I am a fan of this technique, having used it a lot myself, it's fun and effective. But I gave this a 5 in voting, I think due mostly to the relatively washy colours and lack of contrast and real composition in this image.

Mostly, I find the two thinner, lower trunks in the bottom third just look too spindly to visually support the much larger trunks above them. This, combined with a sudden blotch of light immediately below those darker, heavier trunks, probably contributed to a relatively lower placing than had those two thin trunks not been there.

Hope this helps!

Susan

gasmask
by covenation

Comment:
I would call this low-key than silhouette.

Rope Symphony
by josaa

Comment:
nice array of ropes and netting.